Nancy Allen (11)

We take the song, “Happy Birthday” for granted, but did you know that it was first written by school teachers, Mildred and Patty Hill? It had different lyrics and an original title of “Good Morning to All.” The Hill sisters first published the song in 1893. An improvisational inspiration at a birthday party led Patty Hill to create the new lyrics that we all know.

"The catchy song was easy to remember, and people began singing it at parties. The song found its way out of Louisville, show more across the nation, and around the world. "

I love nonfiction books that lend themselves to story time. Most kids will know the Happy Birthday song and will be interested in hearing its origin. Of course, they’ll love singing it as well! "Happy Birthday" will make a great read-aloud for older children.

http://www.shelf-employed.blogspot.com show less

This book provides information on the geography, history, and socioeconomic facts about each of the midwestern states and the great lakes. This book has good connections to school work because it includes before and after reading activities, a glossary of content vocabulary, and facts broken down by state and lake. The book also has plenty of pictures and infographics to accompany the written information. However, the information is also very limited with few details, so it would not be good show more for in depth research. show less